The invention herein pertains to mooring small boats and particularly pertains to mooring boats to a wooden dock such as at a lake or beach.
Small fishing boats and pleasure craft have been moored in many ways throughout the years, generally with one or two ropes used to tie the boat alongside the dock. Dock cleats and other attaching methods have been used in the past with varying degrees of success. Under ideal conditions most securing methods work, however during storms or other adverse weather conditions conventional securing methods often fail, causing the boat to become free or be damaged as they strike the dock or adjoining boats.
Thus, based on the problems and disadvantages of conventional mooring devices and methods, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to provide a mooring device and method which will maintain the boat at a safe, secure distance from the dock under bad weather conditions.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an inexpensive mooring device which will allow a moored boat to safely accommodate wakes or tidal changes of up to approximately two feet in height.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide a portable, easily removably mooring device which will easily work on virtually any wooden dock.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a method for quickly and efficiently mooring the boat at two points along a wooden dock with little practice or training required.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.
The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a pair of mooring devices, each formed from a tubular member having a Y-like shape. An endless cord is contained within the tubular member and trio of end caps provide pairs of apertures to allow the endless cord to exit through the end caps. Releasable brackets in the preferred form of the mooring device are affixed to each of the cords as they exit both arms of the tubular member for securing the mooring device between boards of a wooden dock. The leg of the mooring device is telescopically adjustable as it contains a slidable section therein having holes which align with holes in the leg member. A locking pin secures the slidable section in a desired position within the leg. A split bolt is movably positioned on the endless cord as it exits the end cap of the slidable section. The split bolt is used to tighten the cord, for example to a boat cleat during mooring. Cushions are positioned on each of the arms and the leg to allow the mooring device to float in the event that it inadvertently falls into the water.
The method as described herein includes the step of affixing the releasable brackets to the dock, such as between dock boards in the preferred method and thereafter adjusting the length of the leg with the slidable section to accommodate the specific boat to maintain it in a desired spacial relation to the dock. Next, the endless cord which exits the slidable section end cap is wrapped around the boat cleat and is secured thereon by using the split bolt by sliding it into tight frictional engagement along the cord. The method steps as explained are reversed when it is desired to remove the mooring devices so the boat can be used or otherwise moved from the dock.
In an alternate method of attaching the mooring device to a dock, a connector is attached, such as by lag screws to a private dock. Pins which are removable engage the cord as it exits the arm of the Y-like member to secure the mooring device.